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LOFE SONGS 



DELIA AUSTRIAN 



CHICAGO 

W. B, CONKEY COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



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Copyright, 1902, 
By DELIA AUSTRIAN. 



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CECELIA 



A LOVE LYRIC 



I 

Give me, O Muse, the power to sing! 
Inspire me, thou immortal Love — 
Chaste and unspotted as a dove — 

A full sweet note and clear to ring I 

A song of love not born of earth. 

Such love as but one poet dreamed! 
True love has many a song redeemed 

From nothingness to priceless worth. 

A soul she was, so good, so kind. 

That joy she brought where'er she went; 

She seemed a heavenly spirit sent 
To earth, that we her heaven might find. 

Of her, who dearer was to me 
Than any soul I ever knew, 
So constant she, so loving, true. 

There could not nobler sister be. 

7 



LOVE SONGS 

Her bright, frank face — how I deplore 
Its absence! That celestial smile! 
What joy did then the time beguile! 

Alas! the hours that are no more! 

She made me strong where I was weak; 
To me did wisest counsel give, 
That I a nobler life might live 

And worthier goal aspire to seek. 

O Love, on thee I fix my eyes; 

I choose thee as my truest friend, 
The strength of hope I pray thee send 

For thou alone dost make men wise. 



II 

God of Love, Maker of all. 

Hear Thou my silent, yearning prayer. 
While at Thine altar bowed with care 

1 kneel and for Thy succor call. 

Forgive these hot, these scalding tears. 
Mute language of a broken heart! 
Grief-stricken when such spirits part 

And full of death-awakened fears! 



LOVE SONGS 

And yet Thy ways, O God, are wise 
' And that which is, is surely best; 
The good in Thee are ever blest. 
Toward them Thy mercy never dies. 

Is it a sin to mourn the dead, 

To grieve when friends forsake the earth, 
Souls that men held of peerless worth, 

To whom in love they yet are wed? 

To miss the smile, the tender word. 
The joyous utterance of her heart, 
The music which indeed was part 

Of her. and me so often stirred! 

Helpless I drift, a wayward bark 
Without a rudder or a sail. 
The sport and prey of every gale; 

Blindly I go, the sky is dark. 

Give me the courage that I need; 
Give me the hope, the inner light. 
The faith that serves instead of sight, 

Oh, give me strength, I plead, I plead 1 



10 LOVE SONGS 

III 

I sing not for myself alone; 

I would all souls who have a sorrow 

Some cheerful gleam of hope might borrow 

From thoughts here sung in minor tone. 

How oft when we a grief reveal 

To friend perchance with heavier heart, 
We feel our lesser grief depart 

And peace and calm upon us steal. 

That light which brightened once our day 
Has faded, and lo, clouds instead. 
Sullen and black, hang overhead; 

And we go stumbling on our way. 

Though well we know we ought to bear 
The sufferings that to life belong, 
We daily fail, too little strong 

Calmly our crown of thorns to wear. 

IV 

I will not let these earlier lays 

Take on a mournful, minor strain; 
For God in goodness doth ordain 

That joy should crown our childhood days. 



LOVE SONGS 11 

The child beholds the joy it feels 

In sky and meadow, star and flower; 
Life is to him one endless bower 

Full of all sweet, all glad appeals. 

Let memory call before my eyes 
Fair visions of melodious days, 
Wherein her sweet magnetic ways 

Bound me to her with golden ties. 



How kind was God to you and me 

In those first days we spent on earth! 
So fragile were we from our birth 

Scant chance of life at all had we. 

Till cherished by a mother's care. 

Who hovered o'er us day and night, 
As if it were her chief delight 

For her twin babes such trials to bear. 

Death did not win the victory, 

He could not claim us as his own; 
Not yet was I to be alone. 

Bereaved of your blithe company. 



12 LOVE SONGS 

VI 

Our infant years had passed away 
And we ourselves to study lent, 
And with it jocund play was blent 

That made our childhood fresh and gay. 

We stored our eager little souls 

With legend, myth and fairy tale; 
Such feast of fancy could not fail 

To lure us on to shining goals. 

Oh, happy, happy childhood days, 

Replete with manifold delight! 

Its golden dreams that know no blight 
Of sorrow, lead no mournful ways! 

VII 

We soon forgot our folklore friends, 
The fairy tales we once held dear, 
The doughty knights who knew no fear; 

Our thoughts now turned toward serious ends. 

For Nature called us to her side 

Sharing with us her shade and shine. 
Allured us often to recline 

In nooks where tranquil thoughts abide. 



LOVE SONGS 13 

We sought to know of Egypt's life, 

The arts of Greece, the laws of Rome; 
Where other nations made their home, 

To watch them peaceful or at strife. 

And listened to the ages* song. 

Ringing with many a varied theme, 

A song of hope, of lofty dream, 
Of victory won, of righted wrong. 

But there were mingled with the strain 

Some notes that thrilled the listening air 
With hints of doubt and deep despair, 

Of fairest dreams yet dreamed in vain! 

VIII 

Dearly you loved God's holy word 

Whether through child or man 'twas spoke, 
A thrill of joy in you it woke 

Such as Spring wakes in flower and bird. 

But best of all you loved to hear 

The music made by Nature's lute; 

Your very heart-beats hushed to mute 
While you drank in that heavenly cheer. 



14 LOVE SONGS 

It gave to your young, eager brain 

Rare themes it ne'er had caught alone, 
And to your inner ear such tone 

As ne'er did human voice attain. 

Though then it ever whispered love 
Purer than any poet sings, 
Now it around my spirit flings 

A fragrance as from heaven above. 

Happy, that music has the power 
The weary human heart to soothe! 
The pillow of distress to smooth, 

To brighten darkest, saddest hour! 



IX 



The years flew by and we had grown 
From girlhood gay to womanhood, 
Rich in fond hope we never could 

Be old, for grief was yet unknown. 

What sorrow could we ever feel 

If we each other's thought might share.** 
When two young hearts divide a care. 

Even pain and suffering are less real. 



LOVE SONGS 15 

Perhaps in girlish reverie 

You peered into the future days, 
And there foresaw that not always 

My love alone you were to be. 

It grieved me not, for well I knew 
Our holy love could not be less, 
But every day it would me bless 

And help to make me more like you. 



Fancy once helped me build a home 
With many a graceful battlement; 
The morning sun its glory lent 

And through its halls I loved to roam. 

With wondrous paintings it was filled 
And statues delicate and fair 
And all that is both rich and rare 

Could there be placed, whene'er I willed. 

And there methought my soul should dwell 
In everlasting love and peace; 
In such a home joy ne'er could cease; 

In such a home all would be well. 



16 LOVE SONGS 

But not alone was I to be, 

For there you too would make your home, 
And thence we twain would never roam; 

Contented there, in spirit free. 

And to our palace you would bring 

The sweetest strains that music owns; 
A joy thrilled through me at the tones, 

As were the muses nine to sing. 

And ever should our palace gate 
Open to those who wandered by, 
For never dreamed we to deny 

Entrance to such as there might wait. 

But when grim Death did me bereave 
Of the one friend I cherished most, 
My castle seemed an idle boast, 

A place wherein I could but grieve. 

But where once stood my castle walls 

I sit beside a moaning sea; 

And let its murmur sadden me. 
Singing a song with dying falls. 



LOVE SONGS 17 

XI 

Full oft in childhood did I say 

We twain together must grow old; 
Perhaps I spoke in tones too bold 

And now His will I must obey. 

Whatever God should take from me, 
This dearest bond he must not sever! 
My hope in life you should be ever. 

Without your life what would mine be.? 

Death wooed you for his fair young bride, 
With unknown presence courted you; ' 
With wondrous stealth he nearer drew 

Until at last he reached your side. 

Then when you came to know that Fate 
You to grim Death as bride had sealed, 
With what sweet patience did you yield 

And calmly your espousal wait! 

With grief, with anger burned my brain; 
"Death durst not take my love from me," 
I cried. *'It must not, shall not be!" ' 
Alas, alas, I spoke in vain. 



18 LOVE SONGS 

XII 

Often I say, "She is not dead! 

Nay, she will soon to us return ! ' ' 
To hear her voice my soul doth yearn, 

With hope of this my soul is fed. 

I wait, and wait, to hear her call 
As she was wont to call before; 
I watch to see her at the door; 

I look for her in room and hall. 

Again I peer into the night 

Feeling that she is somewhere lost, 
And by this fear my soul is tossed 

Until with morn returns the light. 

I hasten through the city wide; 
It seems to me that I must find 
Her, for I cannot bring my mind 

To own the gulfs that us divide. 

I search through many a lonely street 
And study every countenance. 
Watch every movement, every glance 

Lest I should fail her glance to meet. 



LOVE SONGS 19 

What joy comes to me if I find 

Likeness to her in some one's face! 
New confidence with me wins place 

And calms my troubled, anxious mind. 

At times I hear a sweet, sad cry, 

Calling as if one needed me. 

Oh, where can my beloved be? 
That call, it sounded somewhere nigh. 

Where she may be I long to know; 
My heart and brain are full of fear, 
They surely should not hold me here. 

Oh, why to her can I not go.^ 

XIII 

The last, long, golden level rays 
Of the great glorious sun are fled; 
Twilight floats earthward now instead 

And over all her dimness lays. 

But here within the solemn room 

Come waves to me of softened light, 
The moon amid the peaceful night 

Irradiates all the gentle gloom. 



20 LOVE SONGS 

What peace, what rest! How cahn, how sliil 
A moonht mantle earth doth wear, 
And lovely fragrance lades the air; 

Would but such peace my spirit fill I 

And would that I need here but wait, 
Longing to have you with me sitl 
What joy but to imagine it! 

Haste hither, oh, my spirit*s mate. 

I hear, I hear her heartsome voice! 

Again we vows of love outpour; 

I conquer, I shall grieve no more. 
But over all things ill, rejoice. 

\ XIV 

" '* Can there be joy without a sorrow? 

Must every pleasure have its pain? 
How many dreams we dream in vain ! 
The nights that bring no bright to-morrow! 

Is there a rose without a thorn? 

Are there gay hearts that never ache? 

Do we not many a morning wake 
To curse that day when we were born? 



LOVE SONGS 21 

Where is the soul that knows no care, 
The soul from trouble ever free, 
Born conqueror of the world to be 

And buoyant like the morning air? 

XV 

Is hard, blind chance indeed the law 

That governs human destiny? 

Held helpless in his grasp, are we 
But prey to his relentless maw? 

Is struggle then a need of life 

That masters every living thing, 

And will it out of chaos bring 
Cosmos instead of pain and strife? 

Were struggle not, the world would die; 
Only through effort has man grown, 
Only through effort has he known 

The whence, the whither, and the why 

Of things without him that he sees, 
Of things within him that he feels, 
And so attains to break some seals 

Of the world's myriad mysteries. 



22 LOVE SONGS 

XVI 

At first so stunned was I with grief 
I scarce could think, she is no more! 
Your presence I did still implore — 

Such empty mockery of relief! 

But soon the sad awakening came; 
I know you are now gone from me, 
Your lovely face I ne'er shall see 

However oft I call your name. 

The lifeless hours move slowly on ; 
They used to fly but now they drag, 
So does all sense of pleasure flag 

And you, my joy, my sister, gone! 

You were to me a guiding star, 
My pilot in the darkest night, 
Your eye could ever see a light, 

For you alone it beamed afar. 

XVII 

What ceaseless pain your death has brought 

To all the circle of your kin ! 

And every day you still do win 
More love; no change your loss has wrought. 



LOVE SONGS 23 

Sisters and brothers for you grieve, 

The power for good that you possessed 
They knew, and, better than the rest, 

What force lay in you to achieve. 

But ah, the grief the mother felt 

In losing one whom she had reared 
To womanhood, and who had cheered 

Her life, until that blow was dealt! 

XVIII 

What keener sorrow e'er was known 
Than that a noble mother bears, 
When death from her so cruelly tears 

A child from flower to fruitage grown? 

A bud of promise, ere it turn 

To fruit or blossom, snatched away 
From mother's bosom where it lay 

And changed to ashes in an urn. 

That, to the mother so bereft. 

Is loss and sorrow, sore indeed. 

Can sorer sorrow be decreed.^ 
Can lonely heart be lonelier left.^ 



24 LOVE SONGS 

Yes, loss is harder surely then 

When that sweet babe upon her knees, 
At length the proud, glad mother sees 

A man, a woman, among men. 

For from their cradle she has dreamed 
Of glorious goals to be attained, 
Of richest prizes to be gained — 

With hope so fair her fancy teemed! 

This loss, this sorrow now is yours, 

My mother; for your child had twined 
Her tendrils round your heart, to bind 

Such bond as to life's end endures. 

XIX 

To-day heart-broken here we bow 

Beside the grave where she was laid, 
With heaviest grief our souls are weighed, 

The wound, half healed, reopen now! 

And fondly o'er your grave we strew 
White roses and carnations red; 
Of pansies pied we plant a bed 

Remembering they were dear to you. 



LOVE SONGS 25 

I long to lie down at your side 

And let the same sod cover me, 

That I again with you might be 
There where the union might abide. 

To press my lips on your sweet face, 
To smooth the lovely golden hair, 
To see the smile your lips now wear, 

To fold you in a fond embrace. 

XX 

True consolation it doth give 

To those in sorrow left behind, 

That their beloved one could find 
Her joy in helping friends to live. 

This consolation now is ours; 
We tenderly the past recall, 
And think with grateful tears of all 

The gladness you shed round in showers. 

And when we laid you in the ground 
And left you to your long, long sleep. 
Where those who-loved you most could weep 

And scatter blossoms o'er the mound. 



26 LOVE SONGS 

One that had never seen your face 

But shared with you a common friend, 
Solace in words like these could lend, 

Our backward-looking hearts to brace: 

"Eternally her life will bless 

Mankind, will ever love outpour, 
Earth harbors now one angel less, 

But heaven may count one angel more." 

XXI 

How foolishly we often give 

Ourselves to grief for those called dead, 

Far wiser were it if instead 
We rather grieved for those who live. 

Scanting our faith in human kind 

We fail to grant the help we might, 
And thus we often lack the light 

Wherewith the much-prized goal to find. 

Ofttimes we yield to selfishness 
And fail to do the timely deed 
Of kindness, that our fellows need 

To ease them of some sore distress. 



LOVE SONGS 27 

But our beloved dead are strong 
In such obedience to God's laws, 
As frees them from those earthly flaws, 

Which to our mortal minds belong. 

XXII 

Can we on earth conceive the gain 

Made by the friends we see no more. 
What unknown realms they now explore, 

To what grand heights their souls attain? 

The dead grow fairer every day 

Not knowing human selfishness; 

And oh, they find true blessedness 
As they go on their holy way! 

God grant that when I cross the sea, 
Saying to earth my last farewell, 
Glad in my Father's home to dwell. 

You shall as pilot come to me! 

And though before again we meet 

Your soul will be of color pure. 

Still I will fear not; I am sure 
Even death cannot our love defeat. 



28 LOVE SONGS 

XXIII 

Oft am I troubled by the thought 

How few the hours you knew on earth, 
How thus your life so full of worth 

Could not complete the task it sought. 

What glorious triumphs you had gained 
Had but your life fulfilled its course! 
Had the bright river from its source 

Flowed to the ocean unrestrained. 

Why was it God did not desire 

You should your work on earth complete.'* 
Why was it you your doom should meet 

And in the flush of life expire.^ 

Perhaps He knew you did not need 
That struggle which is part of life; 
He wished to save you from all strife 

And so your early death decreed. 

XXIV 

I sit within a darkened room, 

More somber in this starless night — 
Nowhere one glimmering ray of light 

Pierces the dense prevailing gloom. 



LOVE SONGS 29 

My sad surroundings bring a mood 
On me of sadness, as I gaze 
Unseeing round me through the maze 

Of darkness and of sohtude. 

I now remember how we said: 

The one who first is called away 
Shall hasten back to earth some da}'. 

And tell the other of the dead. 

How our dead pass their days and nights. 

What are their hopes, and what their fears, 
And are their smiles touched too with tears. 

Or do they share unmixed delights.? 

Perchance this moment j'ou may be 

Close at my side or drawing near, 

My ear so deaf I do not hear. 
My eyes so blind 1 cannot see. 

XXV 

Then moods I have in which I think: 
She there must nobler interests find 
That shut her sister from her mind. 

Yet from such thought of you I shrink. 



30 • LOVE SONGS 

Do souls when they have left the earth 
Forget e'en those they cherished most? 
Then love is not love but a ghost, 

Mere ghost of truth, and nothing worth. 

I need your guidance as of yore, 

To lead me through these tangled v/ays, 
I need your love to light my days, 

I need your wisdom more and more. 

Still let your spirit like a star 

Beam on me and illum.e my night; 
I will look upward for the light, 

I know it will be fair, though far. 

XXVI 

One evening late I sat alone 

Within my chamber dark and still; 
I felt the pensive silence thrill 

My spirit to a somber tone. 

As thus I sat I fell to thought 

Of you and of those bygone days. 
Oh, how your kind and tender ways 

Were fondly back to memory brought! 



LOVE SONGS 31 

Then all at once I seemed to hear 
Music descending from on high, 
Nigher it drew, and still more nigh, 

Oh, with what rapture to mine ear! 

No mortal could such strains awake ; 

With voice or cunning instrument; 

The heavenly player seemed intent 
My melancholy mood to break. 

The song was one you loved so well; 
It sang of earth in Spring array, 
Of flowers in bloom with colors gay. 

Bright as fair fields of asphodel. 

Ever more clear the music grew. 

At length it reached my chamber door, 
Then ceased, my ear was charmed no more, 

But met my eye a form I knew. 

That graceful form was robed in white. 
The hair flowed down in waves of gold. 
The large blue eyes beamed as of old. 

Only with yet more lovely light. 

Gently you put the harp away. 

Still strangely not a v^'ord you spoke; 
But, oh, with what a loving stroke 

Did your hand o'er my forehead stray! 



32 LOVE SONGS 

So you had kept your human ways, 

Though heavenly light was on your face; 
You clasped me in a fond embrace 

As in the happy olden days. 

You saw the tears that dimmed my eyes, 
And bending low you softly said: 
''Sister, weep not, I am not dead, 
Though deep in earth my body lies." 

Life is eternal and we grow 

Greater and ever greater souls; 
The ages show us many goals 

Whereof on earth we did not know. 

For death is but a pleasant sleep, 
You soon awaken in a sphere 
Where all things far more fair appear, 

For all things there God's ordinance keep. 

Soon you were gone, still was the room, 
Thick darkness filled the heavy air. 
But freed was I from earthly care; 

An inner light shot through the gloom. 



LOVE SONGS 33 

XXVII 

The joyous reign of Spring is o'er 

And Summer has assumed her throne; 
She comes as coming to her own, 

Heir of the season gone before. 

How that blithe earlier season brought 
Into fresh life all things of earth! 
The}' sprang as buoyant into birth 

As if the fear of death were naught. 

The buds have opened into flower, 

And with their fragrance lade the air; 
The trees full robes of leafage wear 

Fresh from the loom of sun and shower. 

It is a calmer joy holds sway 

Than when the Spring in gladness woke, 
And the long siege of Winter broke 

To deck the earth in bright array. 

But why in this sweet symphon}' 
That floats upon the summer air, 
Should come a strain of deep despair 

And sing a song of death for mel 



34 LOVE SONGS 



XXVIII 



When to those rural scenes I turn 

Where once we twain had happy days, 
Observing Nature and her ways, 

How for your fellowship I yearn 1 

There every place was dear to you 
In Nature's simple, sacred home; 
Thence never did you care to roam, 

So well you loved that life so true. 

There Nature daily to you brought 

The song of birds, the scent of flowers. 
The chance of rest in leafy bowers — 

A rest with all fair fancies fraught. 

You loved the honest country folk 

Who tilled the field and reaped the grain: 
Ever you found their converse gain, 

As frankly with them oft you spoke. 

Still do those humble people tell 

Of pleasant hours they spent with you; 
They well your many virtues knew 

And on those virtues love to dwell. 



LOVE SONGS 35 

Thus in their hearts you planted seeds, 
Some day in many distant bowers 
To bloom into those fairest flowers, 

The flowers of gentle, loving deeds. 

XXIX 

As here I sit beneath this pine 

And look out on the glorious night. 
With a soft lunar radiance bright, 

I feel an awe of the divine. 

Yearning I gaze on yon still moon. 

And solemn thoughts come to my soul ; 
I wonder toward what shining goal 

May tend her course begun so soon. 

Earth has reclaimed the gift it gave. 

The body turns to dust again; 

It is the common lot of men 
Thus to lie mouldering in the grave. 

But what of that more noble part. 

The part that feels, creates and thinks, 
And us to all the ages links 

In one long fellowship of art.^* 



36 LOVE SONGS 

Does also soul with flesh decay, 

And mingle with the common earth 
Nowhere to find a higher birth, 

Nowhere more beautiful array? 

We know that this can never be, 

Since naught that lives can ever die, 
And though our bodies mouldered lie, 

Our souls are for Eternity. 

XXX 

Alone I stand on this deep shore 

And watch the waves that come and go, 
Pounding the pebbles as they flow, 

And making old earth new once more. 

Far out the water and the sky 
Meet in veiled silent mystery. 
I gaze, and this thought comes to me, 

Do fairer lands there hidden lie.? 

While thus I linger on this beach 
Life shapes itself into a strand; 
The tossing waves that beat the land 

To me a noble lesson teach. 



LOVE SONGS 37 

For heaven and earth, like land and sky, 
Somewhere in dim horizon meet; 
Beyond, far fairer lands do greet 

Our lost beloved when they die. 

XXXI 

Why calls yon robin to her mate? 

He went at morn in search of food, 
While she should watch their tiny brood — 

For him in vain perhaps to wait! 

The widowed mother bows and prays 
For her brave warrior boy's return; 
Ah, with what longing doth she yearn, 

But death meanwhile her hope gainsays. 

The sailor's lonely wife, on knee 

Bent low, prays God in heaven to save 
Her husband from an ocean grave — 

He sleeps already in the seal 

Oh, would, like those, I did not know 

The cruel loss I have sustained! 

Would that some hope to me remained! 
The heaviest woe is hopeless woe. 



38. LOVE SONGS 

XXXII 

Dear little babe, who on the breast 
Of mother, folded in her arms. 
Nestles safe guarded from all harms; 

Your lot in life is surely blest! 

With what a look of love your eyes 
Dwell fondly on 3^our mother's face, 
Unconscious trust in her you place, 

Instinct of nature makes you wise. 

Secure in her, you do not fill 

Your little soul with doubts and fears, 
Calmly you face your future years, 

These will be happy for you still. 

More of true wisdom you possess 

Than many and many a sage has found; 
They may in knowledge more abound, 

But wisdom you doth better bless! 

Let me thus, childlike, lay my heart 
On Mother Nature's fondling breast; 
Nay, let me on His bosom rest — 

My Father's! — now my sister's part! 



LOVE SONGS 39 

XXXIII 

Autumnal days are here at last, 

They tell us Summer's reign is o'er 
And Summer pleasures are no more; 

Those golden hours, they fled how fasti 

The trees are whispering to the wind: 
"A little while our coats we wear, 
Of many colors rich and rare. 
Gorgeous beyond the dreams of Ind. ' 

And yet not all the trees say this; 

Yon pine retains his foliage still. 

Unconscious of the coming ill; 
He triumphs in his sober bliss. 

Let me my Winter face, like him, 
With joy more constant if less gay 
Than theirs who flourish for a day 

And then at Winter's touch grow dim! 

XXXIV 

The setting sun on the great lake 

Strikes, and in sparkles brighter far 
Than brightest jewel lusters are, 

The sheeny crystal waters break. 



40 . LOVE SONGS 

And now the air grows calm and still 
As Nature were bowed deep in prayer 
And thanking God for his sweet care — 

Such thankful prayer my spirit fill! 

List, not a breath of sound is heard, 
Look, the light grasses do not sway; 
The aspen's leaves their fluttering stay; 

To silence awed is every bird. 

What solemn priest did ever speak 
A prayer so reverent and so grand. 
As does this stretch of rolling land 

Now daylight's rule begins to break. 

XXXV 

That sacred day of all the year, 

Which witnessed once our blended birth 
Into the light and life of earth — 

Already it again draws near. 

Memorial day once bright, now dark, 
But it brings memories fresh and fair, 
Of childhood days as free from care 

As summer mornings to the lark. 



LOVE SONGS 41 

The joyous girlhood days we spent 

In wholesome work and blithesome play, 
Rejoicing in each coming day, 

Which ever some new pleasure lent. 

What is a birthday without you? 
Old birthdays ever emphasized 
That love between us which we prized 

More than augh't else on earth we knew. 

XXXVI 

To-morrow I shall bid good-bye 

To the old farm where I have spent 
My summer; here kind Nature lent 

Me hope that could all doubt defy. 

To-morrow is that natal day, 
Once rich in happy memory, 
But now there only comes to me 

A hopeless hope, a deep dismay. 

So sorrowing I my way shall take 

To where you sleep, and there a wreath 
Of laurel lay; that you beneath 

May know what memories in me wake. 



42 LOVE SONGS 

Would that I had the faith to feel 
That we to-morrow will commune, 
That you my spirit will attune 

To your own sense of perfect weal. 

XXXVII 

How choicely, exquisitely wrought, 
This casket, carved with deft design. 
In each detail so chaste, so fine. 

So beautiful with grace unbought. 

Whiter it is than driven snow, 

All set with pearls and diamonds rare, 
Such as not kings of Orient wear 

Who would in utmost splendor glow. 

From that pure background soft and white, 
Looks out a face surpassing fair 
With tenderness; but how compare 

The smile that clothes it with love light 1 

Full many a jewel it contains. 

The like whereof were never made; 
Not ruby, topaz, emerald, jade 

Could match with those celestial gains. 



LOVE SONGS 43 

It is such treasure; it doth keep 

Such treasure, that whatever may 
From out my clasp slip quite away, 

The loss of this ne'er let me weep. 

XXXVIII 

To-day I stand beside your mound, 
I dew with tears the hallowed stone. 
Which means my sister sleeps alone, 

Sleeps that long sleep beneath the ground! 

How without you can I be glad 

And celebrate our natal day? 

Nay, but this season, you away. 
Makes me beyond my sad wont, sad. 

Our dear friends in remembrance strew 
Fresh roses here and asters white; 
These seem to breathe of you — all bright 

Fair things and fragrant breathe of you! 

For me, a laurel wreath I place 
Upon your tomb, my gift to you, 
Sweet symbol of that love you knew. 

The love that time can ne'er efface. 



44- LOVE SONGS 

XXXIX 

A mournful song sad Autumn sings, 
Laden with pensive minor strains; 
A joyous note it ne'er attains, 

But only sense of pathos brings. 

The hopes that summer-time had brought 
Are all, like bubbles, burst in air; 
Again I feel the old despair — 

Such change of cheer has Autumn wrought! 

The sunshine is no longer warm. 
The winds no longer genial blow, 
And earth no longer feels that glow 

Which clothed her with all beauteous form. 

XL 

A crystal mist o'er vale and hill, 

All day came down the fleecy snow 
From sky above to earth below. 

And wafted wide by winds at will. 

The snow-clad trees look cold, forlorn; 
This day no word of hope it spoke, 
No joy in human heart awoke, 

Nay, but all gladness laughed to scorn. 



LOVE SONGS 45 

A dreary chill pervades the air 

And fitful gusts of tempest blow; 
Not knowing, caring, where they go, 

They seem like wailings of despair. 



And me they fill with sorrowing thought 
Of the loved lost one buried deep 
Beneath this snowfall's mounded heap 

And Oh, with what sad memories fraught! 



XLI 

'Tis hard to think of you so bright, 

There lying in the dark, cold ground, 
Snow building up your burial mound, 

Darkness the scene, both day and night! 

And now the snow has turned to rain, 
In ceaseless drops I hear it fall. 
But why, O heart, need it appal 

Thee, beating 'gainst the window pane? 

Beside this glowing hearth is cheer; 

Without, the chill, the dreamy night; 

O sister, you are bathed in light. 
For you at least I need not fear. 



46 LOVE SONGS 

XLII 

While yet I lay asleep one morn, 
I saw a youth with golden hair; 
His radiant face a smile did wear, 

Such as was ne'er by mortal worn. 

The smile upon his countenance, 

Effulgent, like the bridegroom sun, 
Fresh one more daily course to run — 

That smile did so his grace enhance! 

Not like a stranger did he seem, 
But someone I before had known 
And more and more his features shone. 

Could ever a mortal's face so beam? 

And as he gazed into my eye 

Pity in his bright aspect spoke, 
As if some tender thought awoke 

Within him: soon the reason why 

I knew; he said: "You know me well. 
Though you have never seen my face; 
Look, and the likeness you shall trace 

Of one whose name I now will tell. 



LOVE SONGS 47 

"Sore grieved am I to see your grief 
For that twin sister who has passed; 
Let not your sorrow for her last ; 

I come to bring you sweet relief. 

"My name is Love; I forged the chain 
That linked your sister dear to you, 
Two souls made one in union true- 
But I can break the bond again. 

"Still if the bond you yet would keep 
Your sister's love shall ne'er grow less, 
And daily it shall soothe and bless 

Till in her arms you fall asleep." 

Cheered was my heart, as thus Love spoke 

I felt my sister's spirit near 

To banish all my former fear 
And with my soul at peace I woke. 

XLIII 

Sometimes I question. Is it right 
Thus to indulge the grief I bear, 
Should I not seek what might repair 

My loss, might lead me to the light.? 



48 . LOVE SONGS 

The skillful sculptor, though he work 
In far-sought costliest marble rare, 
Yet will his chisel-blows not spare — 

He knows where forms of beauty lurk. 

We all are sculptors, and we are 
Ourselves the marble to be hewn. 
No matter how about us strewn 

May lie waste fragments; those would mar 

The last result, if they remained; 
They must relentlessly be cleft 
Away, till naught of all is left 

Save that whereby more grace is gained. 

Our Master Sculptor watches all, 
And helps us as we hew the stone, 
Until the ideal shape is shown, 

To free which all our strokes did fall. 

Though He may strike a painful blow, 

He will not His ideal harm ; 

Each stroke that falls from his right arm 
Will liker make His marble grow. 



LOVE SONGS 49 

XLIV 

Soon now will Christmas-tide be here, 
So rich in thoughts that give delight, 
To make the simplest homes look bright 

And bring the saddest happy cheer. 

Households meanwhile await return 
Of sons and daughters far away, 
Welcomed with little ones so gay; 

While with fresh pride the parents burn. 

The old and young will gather round 

The Christmas tree hung bright with gifts, 
While mutual love the soul uplifts 

And joys in every heart abound. 

XLV 

To us what joy can Christmas bring. 
So deeply bowed in silent grief, 
That can but still refuse relief 

While merry voices round us ring? 

She will not come, the one we miss, 
That tender flower we loved so dear, 
Whose fragrance was a breath of cheer, 

Whom now to see were crown of bliss! 

4 



50 LOVE SONGS 

Last year when Christmas time came round 
Our hours were spent in mirth and joy, 
No care our pleasures to annoy, 

No sense of loss our hearts to wound. 

No fear of loss! All unaware 

Of what impended, we were glad; 
Thought of that gladness makes me sad. 

Past gladness adds but weight to bear. 

XLVI 

The old year soon will pass away, 
And with it the old century too; 
The time allotted them lived through. 

They will surrender up their sway. 

Before they take their last farewell 

They, glancing back, review the years; 
Their smiles of joy are blurred with tears 

As on the chequered past they dwell. 

And though they see that much is done 
They feel that all is incomplete, 
That selfishness may still defeat 

The mighty tasks they had begun. 



LOVE SONGS 51 

Oh, may the new age realize 

Knowledge and wealth are not the whole; 

A true, deep kinship of the soul 
Each must in other recognize. 

XLVII 

From night-long dreams this morn I woke; 

I dreamed that you appeared last night, 

Beside my bed, a ray of light, 
You paused, and then these words you spoke: 

"O my beloved, why not see 

That you in mourning thus do wrong? 
To others do those tears belong; 

From touch of sorrow I am free. 

"I long, dear child, to have you know 

The sinful only need your tears; 

The faltering need the word that cheers 
To buoy them lest they sink of woe. 

"To feel the truth of what I say, 

Come, we with speed o'er earth will go. 
And your own eyes shall make you know." 

I did not falter to obey. 



52 LOVE SONGS 

XLVIII 

We found ourselves in a dark street 
Reeking of foul air, damp and raw; 
Hunger the hearts of men did gnaw, 

And on them vice had stamped defeat. 

The dramshop door stood open wide. 

And noisy music met the ear; 

As step by step we drew more near, 
Coarse laughter could be heard inside. 

Clink went the glasses as they drank, 

And fumes of liquor fouled the air; 

There they would drink to drown their care 
Until in drunken sleep they sank. 

Some of them danced a dizzy train. 

Faltering and stumbling as they went; 
They seemed on anything intent 

Whereby oblivion they might gain. 

Their faces wore a haggard look, 

Flushed on a pallor ashen white; 

Bleared were their eyes that once were bright ; 
All thought their features had forsook. 



LOVE SONGS 53 

XLIX 

Next in a house we found a room 

Rotten and damp with frost and rain, 
Never did sunlight entrance gain 

To that chill chamber thick with gloom. 

There in a broken trundle bed 

A little maiden dying lay; 

Love could not keep the foe at bay, 
Death would not be discomfited. 

A weary mother, thin and pale, 

Was bowed beside her little one; 
Already now her utmost done, 

She, anguished, saw that utmost fail. 

Submissive, though her heart was sore. 

She gave to God her only child; 

Hers was a nature soft and mild 
That sweetly every burden bore. 



That scene we left. The moon was fled; 
I, blindly stumbling as I walked. 
And meanwhile with my sister talked, 

Saw murky clouds hung overhead. 



54 LOVE SONGS 

And as we went there came in sight 

More squalid wretchedness, with crime 
So open that it seemed pastime. 

Though under cover of the night. 

We felt the presence there of thought 
Soon to be realized in theft; 
Some were of conscience so bereft, 

The crime of murder they held naught. 

Kow from all this I longed to turn; 

My heart was heavy, sick, and sore; 

I wished to witness nothing more, 
But there was more for me to learn. 



LI 



We came upon a chamber bare, 
A weary woman sat and sewed; 
Hot tears between the stitches flowed. 

So weighed was she with grief and care. 

From early morn till late at night 
She plied her needle day by day, 
To keep the wolf at least at bay. 

Which she despaired to put to flight. 



LOVE SONGS 55 

In contrast to this sad abode, 

We passed a mansion full of wealth, 
A home of pleasure and of health — 

The hearth with cheerful firelight glowed. 

LII 

Come, spirit, let us fly away; 

I long to see a purer sight 

And bathe m}^ soul in God's own light 
Before shall come the dawn of day. 

In answer to my selfish thought. 

She dropped a pearl of crystal dew; 
Though not a word she spoke, I knew 

In her high sphere self counts for naught. 

But soon we left our world behind, 
Borne upward by a balmy breeze, 
And wafted over placid seas 

Just dimpled by that wooing wind. 

Past myriad lucent spheres we sped. 
That poured their light into the dark, 
But there were some so cold and stark 

They surely had been ages dead. 



56 LOVE SONGS 

And as we smoothly sailed along 

Ethereal music met mine ear; 

First, snatches I could scarcely hear, 
Then the whole heaven seemed one grand song. 

My sister spoke: "That is a band 
Of choristers, who drive the night 
Away, and summon forth the light 

To spread its beams o'er sea and land. 

"Behold, the clouds begin to break, 
And the sun paints the eastern skies; 
At his approach the darkness dies, 

And a new day is full awake. ' ' 

LIII 

While still I listened to that song, 
The voice of God it seemed to be. 
That in the music spoke to me; 

It banished all my sense of wrong. 

"Fix not your eyes upon the past; 

To you the present hours belong; 

Within them grow serenely strong, 
But haste to use them while they last. 



LOVE SONGS 57 

**No one is placed on earth by chance; 
Life always means development, 
All living things on this are bent 

But man must struggle to advance. 

"Advancing he may move along. 
All forms of life toward the goal ; 
For this I gave to him a soul 

And in privation made him strong. 

"For heaven begins right there on earth 
And brother love must be your guide; 
There is no valid law beside 

To quicken souls to higher birth." 

LIV 

O sister mine, I understand! 

This journey has revealed to me 
What should the law of living be. 

The everlasting one demand. 

On every side we see oppressed. 

Poor wretches pleading for their rights; 
It is for us to fight their fights — 

Their battle won we too are blessed. 



58 . LOVE SONGS 

Again we see degraded souls 

Go stumbling through the darkest nights; 

We, if we will, can give the light, 
Shall help them on to find their goals. 

And if they fail, we also fail; 

Our brothers' keepers are we all, 
Together we must rise or fall, 

Together every task assail. 

Mere dogmas, cold and lifeless creeds, 
Will never save our human kind; 
Salvation we can only find 

Through noble and unselfish deeds. 

So shalt earth change to paradise. 

And love true queen shall reign alone; 
Nor other law shall then be known. 

Love's holy law shall all suffice. 



LV 



I do not know if this I dreamed. 
Or if my soul fled from the earth. 
But I saw now what things were worth, 

And truths the deepest on me gleamed. 



LOVE SONGS 59 

When I went forth into the air, 

The joys came back I erst had known. 
And I to something nobler grown, 

For fled from me was blank despair. 

Spring zephyrs had unsealed the ground, 
And opened every bud to flower; 
As lightly dripped the genial shower, 

I shared the joy that reigned around. 

It was my sister's spirit blent 

With all I saw and all I heard; 

Her influence within me stirred, 
And wrought to me serene content. 



:4:£iX'Trt 



LOVE SONGS 63 



TO BEOWA. HERALD OF SPRING 

O gentle youth, divinely fair and tall, 

Thou harbinger of Spring, and earth's delight, 
Who bringest forth all joy, mak'st nature bright, 

Dispellest care, and fear, and grief for all, 

Dryads and fairies hasten at thy call 

To chase away dark demons, imps of night. 
Who erst had ruled the world grown cold with 
fright, 

Till thou those evil spirits didst enthrall. 

Hail, youth! who scatter 'st wide the blossoms fair. 
Decking the trees with foliage gold and green. 

Inviting birds to fill with song the air, 

And viewless nymphs to haunt that sylvan scene. 

Abide thou ever and our lives shall be 

A perfect strain of earth's great harmony. 



64 LOVE SONGS 



LOVE AND LIFE 

It was a cool, a calm, a glorious day, 

The vital sun was bathing earth and air 
In light, until the world rejoicing lay. 

So richly decked with flowers fresh and fair; 

By all-wise Nature's cunning thought and care 
Gay birds and insects made an endless song 

Of love, and with their joy did fill the air 
And at their work and play this blithesome throng 
Far in the starlit night did they their hymns pro- 
long. 

And when the sun had kissed the earth good-night, 

A youth appeared and with this youth a maid; 
And as they walked, the earth glowed with their light ; 
In haste they went, nor could their steps be 
stayed, 
O'er hills and mountains passed in endless flight, 
Unwearied, singing songs of peace and joy, 
Till they a garden spy in a leafy glade. 
They enter, and the still small hours employ 
In converse, safe in sense of freedom from annoy. 



v 



LOVE SONGS 65 



THE TEMPLE OF THE WINDS 



Upon a rugged, cloud-capped mountain peak 
There stands a temple built of marble rare, 

Enriched by statues that great thoughts do speak 
Of mighty deeds once planned with greatest care, 
'Tis tended day and night by maidens fair. 

This shrine was reared when Greece was proud and 
strong, 
And Phidias did his wreath of glory wear 

Oft was it crowded with a pious throng, 

Who listened with delight to hear Apollo's song. 

Immortal Phidias now creates no more, 

Apollo's silver-sounding flute is still. 
His god-head now no worshipers adore. 

And yet his music doth the temple fill; 

The happy sounds do ever laugh and trill, 
And as the warbling winds breathe through the hall, 

Those ancient melodies your senses thrill 
As if indeed you heard them rise and fall. 
And with their harmonies earth's discord disenthrall. 



66 LOVE SONGS 



THE ERL-KING 

(A Translation) 

Harkl who rides through the night so wild? 
It is a father with his child; 
He holds the boy fast in his arm, 
Pressing him close to keep him warm. 

"My son, my son, why hide your face?" 
"The erl-king, father, with us doth race; 

The erl-king with his crown. See! list!" 
"Fear not, my child, 'tis a cloudy mist." 

"My dear little boy, come along with me. 
And many games will I play with thee; 
Many gay flowers are on the strand, 
With glistening pebbles and golden sand." 

"But father, my father, do you not hear, 
What the erl-king whispers in my ear?" 

"My son, my son, glance not behind! 
'Tis the rustle of leaves in the rushing wind." 

"My gentle lad, if you go with me, 
My daughters so fair will wait on thee; 
My daughters, who watch the mighty Rhine 
Will dance, and sing, and ever be thine." 



LOVE SONGS 67 

"My father, my father, and see you not there 
The erl-king's daughters exceeding fair?" 

"My son, my son, 'tis the mist so grey. 
Gleaming through willows with winds at play. 

"I love thee, my lad, thou art so dear; 

Now come along, why should'st thou fear?" 
"See, oh, see! he tears me away; 

With thee, my father, I dare not stay." 

The father shudders; to keep him from harm. 
He holds the child fast in his arm; 
When he reaches his home all trembling with fear, 
The child is dead whom he loved so dear! 



68 LOVE SONGS 



TRUTH 

(A Parable from the Talmud) 

When God at first called forth the heaven and earth, 
He summoned all the angels to His side; 

At once they said, "Create a man of worth 
To sing Thine endless glory far and wide." 

A flutelike voice rang out: "Create no more, 
Earth's harmony will be destroyed by man, 

He will forget his Maker, and adore 

Himself, and will dethrone Thee if he can." 

Then silence reigned in God's empyreal hall, 
Till Mercy counseled him on bended knee; 

She, sweetest, kindest, fairest of them all. 
Said: "Make him; leave him then to me." 

But gentle Peace spoke up and made reply: 

"Oh, give not earth this king to live in strife, 
A creature his Creator to defy. 

And boast that he is master of his life." 

Then stern-faced Justice said: "Place man on earth 
To live beneath my unrelenting sway, 

Let's see what he will do, what is his worth, 
Perhaps he will Thy great commands obey." 



LOVE SONGS 69 

At last God's holiest angel neared the throne, 

Truth held: ''I know the man will sin and die, 

And bring his offspring into woes unknown 

Through his misdeeds, their helpless destiny." 

And God replied: "Thy words are wise and true; 

On earth as in heaven henceforward dwell, 
And thou shalt be a link between the two. 

And upright make his sons where Adam fell." 



70 LOVE SONGS 



THE BRIDE AND THE BRIDEGROOM 

(Tale from the Talmud) 

There lived in ancient great Jerusalem 
A maiden of rare beauty, kind and true; 
Gladly she gave her hand and heart to one 
Whom she had loved in days of happy youth. 
So free from care w^ere they that oft she said: 

"I trust our wedded days will never end." 
As sometimes the sun's rays prelude a rain, 
So did this joy of theirs foreshadow grief; 
One day the man she loved more than her life 
Bade her a tearful, sad, though kind, farewell. 
Compelled to visit long in distant lands. 
His weeks of absence grew to weary months, 
And the months multiplied into a year. 
And still no husband and no tidings came. 
She meanwhile longing for his home return. 
Many there were who tried to comfort her 
With gentle thoughts and generous kindly deeds; 
But there were those who taunted her and said: 

*'Thy tears will never bring thy husband back. 
He has forsaken thee, he loves thee not." 
Then would she seek her quiet little room, 
And over his old letters pore and muse, 



LOVE SONGS 71 

In which he promised ever to be true. 

And with her tears she bathed those early vows; 

Some comfort thus she gleaned midst her deep 

grief. 
There was a day of joy reserved for her; 
The man whom still she held so dear returned. 
Then, when with one another they exchanged 
Speech of their many dark and gloomy hours, 
He questioned her how she had kept her faith. 
She showed the letters she had read so oft, 
And said: "Behold thy covenant of love.'* 



72 LOVE SONGS 



THE MONK 

It was an autumn vesper, and the monks 

Were at their prayers. Into the organ loft 

He stole, and in sad reverie there he played; 

Gently his fingers touched the silent keys 

And they replied in soft and tender strains 

That breathed of endless peace and joy and love, 

Strains sweeter now as only dear to memory. 

Before he knew it, he was young again. 

Not novv^ a priest, pale and care-worn his face, 

But happy, his beloved by his side, 

Dreaming once more those blessed, sacred dreams 

Shot through and through with a sweet minor strain 

Which thrilled his soul with many thoughts of love. 

But soon grew faint, in silence passed away; 

Those wandering fingers had grown cold and still, 

The misspent life was dead, the soul had left its cell. 



LOVE SONGS 73 



A KINDLY WORD 



There is a charm, a simple thing, 
But highly prized by everyone, 

Since it a sense of joy can bring 
To him by whom it may be won. 

This valued treasure is not bought 
By piles of silver, heaps of gold; 

It will not be discovered, sought 
In any precious metal mould. 

It is a jewel far more worth 

Than pearl or diamond — stone most rare ; 
There in no mineral of earth 

That shines with luster half so fair. 

All of this jewel rich have heard, 
And none but hold it very dear; 

'Tis nothing but a kindly word, 

But what a charm it owns to cheer! 



74 LOVE SONGS 



BREAKING HOME TIES 

To-day, my son, we part perhaps for years; 
You are to leave the home grown dear to you. 
That guarded you from hardships and from toil. 
And shared your every sorrow, every joy; 
A brother and two sisters whom you love. 
Companions of your happy childhood days; 
We send you forth this day to see the world. 

Your father and myself grant you your wish, 
To seek your fortune far away from home, 
And meet the struggles life may have for you 
To conquer, or perhaps by them be ruled. 
We cannot give you gifts of gold as you 
Start out, instead our blessings we bestow; 
We humbly ask of God that he may keep 
You well, and guard you safe from every harm. 

Good-bye, my darling boy, consider well 

The parting words your mother speaks to you; 

Always be manly, brave, and generous; 

Willingly help another when you can. 

If fortune smiles be modest, frowns be strong, 

And when temptations meet you on the way, 

Remember that we pray for you at home. 



LOVE SONGS 75 



ALONE IN THE WORLD 

Beside her bed he sits and guards her form 

Late warm with life but now grown stark and 

cold; 
All that he loved is gone, his wife is dead, 
Companion of his old and feeble 3^ears. 
His back is bent with age, with care and grief; 
He rests his weary head upon his arms; 
His heavy eyes look out in empty space 
As if they said: "Now am I all alone. 

''For it was she who cheered my lonely days. 
And made more bright my somber, weary life. 
And through her tenderness and gentle ways 
Helped me to conquer obstacles and strife. 
All purpose is now gone, all hope is fled; 
Whom shall I toil for now with honest zeal? 
Yes, all ambition is turned cold and dead, 
No power is left in me to think or feel!" 



76 LOVE SONGS 



EVENING SONG 

The sun goes down, his light is hid, 
The earth is veiled in heavy gloom. 

My soul, my silent soul, I bid 

Escape from out your earthly tomb. 

I with you, soul, alone would be. 

How still, no breath of sound is heard! 
To-night at least, I must be free, 

As free as any wildwood bird. 

Soul, let us wander far away. 

Bathed in the radiant light of love. 

To come again, if come we may. 
Ere yet the sun is high above. 



LOVE SONGS 77 



THE SOUL OF NATURE 

When with great Nature I commune, 
A certain peaceful harmony 
Of spirit so possesses me 

That all my being beats in tune. 

Her cheerfulness my soul invades 
So sweetly, grief I cannot know; 
My very body is aglow, 

My senses' deep with joy she lades. 

The mingling song of many birds 
Blended with rustling of the trees, 
Rocked by a gentle fluttering breeze. 

They warbled music without words. 

And in it all there sounds a strain 
Of universal love, which wakes 
Love in my breast for all, and makes 

My faith erst weak grow strong again. 



78 LOVE SONGS 



THE ROSE AND THE BREEZE 

A rosebud grew in a garden fair 

And proud and cruel at heart was she; 

She wore a supercilious air, 

Could naught of worth in others see. 

Full many suitors courted her; 

She treated all with equal scorn, 
Not one of them her heart could stir. 

Not one but she dismissed forlorn. 

It fell that one bright summer day, 

A brisk young breeze came forth to woo 

That haughty rose; she naught would say 
But, "Such as I, wed such as you?" 

Meantime the rose's days flew by, 
She felt her seasons swiftly pass, 

Her heart she wasted in a sigh 
And said, "I faint, I fail, alas!" 

Then to the breeze she made appeal, 
He heeded not her pleading cry. 

She had not felt, he would not feel, 
But calmly left her there to die. 



LOVE SONGS 79 



O LOVE, WHERE \\(\SX THOU BEEN 
TO-NIGHT? 

The sun has fled, the stars shine bright, 
A lovely fragrance lades the air; 

This breeze that cools the summer night 
Does many a secret with it bear. 

But where, my love, art thou to-night? 

Mid garden blooms in bliss I walk, 
But most the roses give me cheer; 

To them I speak, I hear them talk. 
Still her I miss, I hold most dear — 

And where, my love, art thou to-night.'' 

Oh, haste thee, darling, hither haste, 
I with the flowers here wait for thee. 

Without thy presence all is waste. 
Ah, what is that? It must be she! 

O love, where hast thou been to-night? 



80 LOVE SONGS 



TO THE PAST 



To you, the great, the glorious past, 
I long to give these words of praise, 
For much you have bestowed on me, 
Great wealth of body, mind, and soul. 

Thousands of men have lived and died; 
They fought with hardships of the woods. 
With angry winds, tumultuous seas; 
They gladly suffered, died for me. 

While untold numbers spent their years 
Learning of laws that govern life. 
They sought great truths in many books — 
Their wisdom found they left to me. 

Or gave their precious, fruitful years 
To rearing buildings, carving marbles, 
Creating wondrous harmonies — 
These glorious gifts my soul enjoys. 

Millions have fought with bigotry; 
They gladly wore the crown of thorns. 
And sacrificed their lives for truth — 
Lights they once kindled burn for me. 



LOVE SONGS 81 

How fortunate am I, 

For I am heir to all the gifts 

The many ages have bestowed 

On me; but how pay back this debt? 

Though heir I am to all the past, 
The present claims me as her child; 
She bids me do my many tasks, 
And I shall heed her wise command. 



82 LOVE SONGS 

THE WOODCUTTER 

(A Chicago Scene) 

The slimy, sluggish waters scarcely flow, 

They creep by quay, forge, warehouse, humming 
mill. 
But swift tugs ply and steamers come and go 

Screeching into the air their warnings shrill. 
Enormous piles in the dead river stand, 

About which chains in iron wreaths are wound; 
By a staunch bridge the oozy stream is spanned 

And the two banks to one another bound. 

Under the bridge, close to the sandy shore. 

There stands a laboring man of massive mould 
Who swings his gleaming axe, and o'er and o'er 

His blows repeating, scorns the bitter cold; 
The frost of age has streaked his hair with white. 

And the tanned face deep scores of wrinkles 
wears. 
They seem to tell how he from morn till night 

Toils day by day beneath a load of cares. 



LOVE SONGS 83 

Not for one moment will he stop to rest, 

As if the strain of labor fain would break; 
He to himself meanwhile with honest zest 

Speaks out his thoughts as they within him wake. 
More than content to do a hard day's work, 

All for his wife and for his children three, 
For naught on earth his duty will he shirk; 

True sons of God surely are such as he! 



84 LOVE SONGS 

THE JUNK-SHOP KEEPER 

(A Chicago Scene) 

Right here I live over that rickety shop, 

"Where streets are thick with mud and air is foul 

And houses reek of dampness and of chill. 

Yes, that is where the junk-shop keeper lives. 

And it is not so awful after all, 

For I can make a halfway decent living 

Selling old papers, tattered clothes, worn shoes. 

See there that heap of dirty cast-off rags 

Which once were white, or at least once were clean, 

It is because they are so filthy now, 

They help me give my wife and little girl 

A home; we call it home, for there we sleep 

At night, and have our three good meals a day. 

Sometimes I get so tired of buying rags 

That I forget myself and dream awake. 

My soul then leaves its weary home of clay, 

And I go back in life, am young again. 

Then oft I rouse me with a sudden start. 

And am ashamed and angry at myself. 

It will not do to dream when you should work. 



LOVE SONGS 85 

When Friday night comes round, my wife and me 

We give our time to better things than dreams, 

Far nobler than our rags — to thoughts of God, 

And readings in His blessed holy words. 

Our Sabbath oft we spend out in the park; 

My wife and child they like the flowers and trees. 

But I lie down to sleep and then to dream, 

And sometimes in my long and pleasant dreams 

There mingle many things they sec and hear — 

The sparrows' call, the leafy, lisping trees, 

The bright, low pansies, roses, four-o'clocks. 

At times I guess I should dream on forever. 

But that my wife and baby wake me up; 

My baby calls: "Now let's go home, 'tis dark." 

I cannot quite remember who I am 

Until I see the dirty street, my shop, 

And the big sign, '* Isaac, the junk-shop keeper." 



86 LOVE SONGS 

V 

HUSHED IS OUR STRICKEN LAND TO-DAY 

(To Wm. McKinley, September 22, 1901) 

Hushed is our stricken land to-day 

And every city great and small is draped in mourn- 
ing, 

And every heart, the young, the old, is mute with 
grief 

For our great chieftain v^ho is dead. 

No more for him the trials of life 

Confronting with their many vexing problems 

grave, 
Yet intermixing blessed hours of joy and peace, 
Sweet oases of rest amid life's toil. 

No more for him the battle-field 

Where he once fought for freedom's rights so fear- 
lessly, 

To save this gladsome land from ruin and dis- 
grace, 

The mother-land he had so dearly loved. 



LOVE SONGS 87 

No more for him the cares of state 
And mighty war to show his sturdy character, 
And prove that though he dreaded human blood- 
shed much, 
He knew what honor did demand. 

For him no more that best of earthly joys, 
The joy of feeling he was loved by everyone, 
Most by a tender, frail companion, whom he 

cheered 
And guarded with a manly heart. 

Let all mankind now voice a prayer. 

Let every church bell sadly toll the grief we feel, 

For him who dearly loved his country and his 

home. 
And was so honest with his God. 

And ere we lay him to his rest, 
As he begins his glorious and immortal life, 
Let us recall the words the dying martyr spoke: 
** Nearer my God to Thee, to Thee." 



88 LOVE SONGS 



ON THE LAKE 

How calm the water is to-night, 
So peacefully at rest she seems 
That she awakens many dreams 

In me, as onward steals the twilight. 

Bride-like she wears a flowing veil, ' 
Made by the white and fluffy foam 
Of breaking waves that idly roam. 

As tossed they are by some light gale. 

Upon her snowy breast there shines 
Rare rubies sparkling in the light, 
And amethysts and opals white. 

Which ne'er were found in richest mines. 

Crowned with such splendor she awaits 
The swift approach of her true love. 
Young Night, fast fleeing from above. 

Until on earth himself instates. 

She knows that he will soon draw near; 

The stars already have begun 

Their march through heaven one by one, 
And with the moon through clouds appear. 

LofC. 



LOVE SONGS 89 

At last Night came, wrapped in a cloak 
Which hid his form, part of his face; 
The smiling sun did gladly chase 

Away all somberness and spoke: 

' Now hasten, take thy loving bride 

Who knows no other love but thine; 
To her young soul thou art divine, 

Let naught on earth this love divide." 



90 LOVE SONGS 



VIOLETS 

Violets, do you remember 

How my lady fair 
Wore you on her wedding day 

In her golden hair? 

Yes, she loved you dearly, 

So she used to say, 
For you brought her tender thoughts 

In the month of May. 

Fragrant little flowers. 

Blue as yonder sky. 
How many of man's sacred thoughts 

In your heart do lie? 

When we went to the meadows 

To see the flowers gay, 
She always list to hear 

What the violets had to say. 

She loved your smiling faces. 
And your liquid eyes of blue; 

To her you were the dearest 
Of all the flowers she knew. 



LOVE SONGS 91 

And of all of nature's gifts, 

Some of which are rare, 
She loved most the flowers 

Which she wore in her yellow hair. 

And so I prize most dearly 

My flowers that bloomed in May, 

And with mine own dear sweetheart 
Died on a winter's day. 



H 70 86 1 



OCT 4 1902 



4 1902 




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ECKMAN 

^DERY INC. 

JAN 86 

t^P^ N. MANCHESTER, 
5s^ INDIANA 46962 



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